The theme of the book is how a right set of policies can govern a country's well being from an economic standpoint and the vision it takes to propel a country to new heights. The scope of the book is not just development, but how the development was undone by policies and actions that were not governed by that vision.
A timely look at the impact of China’s booming emergence on the countries of Southeast Asia Today, Southeast Asia stands uniquely exposed to the waxing power of the new China. Three of its nations border China and five are directly impacted by its claims over the South China Sea. All dwell in the lengthening shadow of its influence: economic, political, military, and cultural. As China seeks to restore its former status as Asia’s preeminent power, the countries of Southeast Asia face an increasingly stark choice: flourish within Beijing’s orbit or languish outside of it. Meanwhile, as rival powers including the United States take concerted action to curb Chinese ambitions, the region has emerged as an arena of heated strategic competition. Drawing on more than a decade of on-the-ground experience, Sebastian Strangio explores the impacts of China’s rise on Southeast Asia, the varied ways in which the countries of the region are responding, and what it might mean for the future balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.
The Rise of the Corporate Economy in Southeast Asia surveys the growth of large corporations in Southeast Asia, focusing in particular on corporate organization, methods of finance, the business environment and corporate governance. It details the different phases of corporate and financial development, particularly liberalization and globalization from the mid-1980s, the 1997 crisis, and subsequent attempts at liberalization and the reform of corporate governance. Raj Brown considers the key themes of the rise of the Southeast Asian corporate economy, and illustrates the theoretical issues through deployment of carefully selected country-specific case studies from across the region. An examination of critical subjects include: the variety of corporate forms found in Southeast Asia issues of ethnicity the concentration of ownership, particularly among families links between the state, the military, banks and corporations state-owned enterprises and forms of state control the role of foreign capital. Providing a comprehensive analysis of the rise of the corporate economy in Southeast Asia, this study will be an important resource for students of the region and those concerned with theoretical issues of corporate governance.
Go beyond the tiger mom philosophy with “a more balanced—and more useful—elaboration of how to apply each [Confucian] value” (Kirkus Reviews). Today, many American families are facing the economic fallout of global competition, a decline in education quality, the potential reduction of Social Security and Medicare benefits, and high oil prices. The answer to these problems can be found in five inspiring Confucian values regarding career aspiration, education, money management, family, and friendship—the untold secrets behind the rise of China and the success of Asian Americans, whom the Pew Research Center calls the highest-income and best-educated racial group in the US. Based on his bicultural living experience and deep understanding of Confucianism, YuKong Zhao connects ancient Chinese wisdom to today’s real-life challenges and shares an “inside view” of how Chinese Americans apply these values to their lives and make themselves successful in their careers and as parents. Using an insightful cross-cultural perspective, he advocates a balanced approach that combines the strengths of Confucian values and American culture. He challenges many prevailing pop-culture values and offers sensible solutions that are refreshing, distinctive, and effective. “Will we be able to learn from other countries? Can we take the best practices and apply them to our own culture? I believe we have no choice in the matter if we are to be among the global leaders in the future. The Chinese Secrets for Success is a good start to at least getting us thinking in a productive way.” —Executive Leader Coach (execleadercoach.com)
Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East, and Southeast Asia, Third Edition explores and illustrates conditions, events, problems, and trends of both larger regions and individual nations. Using a cross-disciplinary approach, the author discusses evolving physical and cultural landscapes. Nature-Society relations provide the foundation for social, economic, political, and environmental problems. Dragons and Tigers is the only textbook that covers all three regions – South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia – in one textbook. It is the most comprehensive book on the market about the geography of Asia.
China has made extraordinarily rapid gains in Southeast Asia since it turned its old confrontational policy on its head in 1997. The Dragon Looks South focuses closely on the past five years and is a comprehensive work that reviews all aspects of China's relations with all Southeast Asian states. Percival also distinguishes between China's goals in mainland and maritime Southeast Asia, deals with all of the major external players in Southeast Asia, not just China and the United States, and contends that various international relations schools of thought may or may not be relevant to Chinese-Southeast Asian relationships.
"This book is the outgrowth of a September 1999 Cato Institute conference 'Whither China? The PRC at 50'"--p. ix. Includes bibliographical references and index.
Globalization is a defining feature of our times, covering everything from economic and political issues to the spread of American culture. Its status is controversial, however with some viewing it as leading to greater development for all, while others see it as a threat to national cultures and democratic political life. This book shows how simplified such binary views are, and examines how various globalizing forces have affected Asian societies. It discusses the relationship between globalization, identity and democratic developments in Asia both theoretically and empirically, and aims to understand how economic, political and social forces interact and are mutually reinforced in Asian societies.
“A good read for anyone who wants to understand what actually determines whether a developing economy will succeed.” —Bill Gates, “Top 5 Books of the Year” An Economist Best Book of the Year from a reporter who has spent two decades in the region, and who the Financial Times said “should be named chief myth-buster for Asian business.” In How Asia Works, Joe Studwell distills his extensive research into the economies of nine countries—Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, and China—into an accessible, readable narrative that debunks Western misconceptions, shows what really happened in Asia and why, and for once makes clear why some countries have boomed while others have languished. Studwell’s in-depth analysis focuses on three main areas: land policy, manufacturing, and finance. Land reform has been essential to the success of Asian economies, giving a kick-start to development by utilizing a large workforce and providing capital for growth. With manufacturing, industrial development alone is not sufficient, Studwell argues. Instead, countries need “export discipline,” a government that forces companies to compete on the global scale. And in finance, effective regulation is essential for fostering, and sustaining growth. To explore all of these subjects, Studwell journeys far and wide, drawing on fascinating examples from a Philippine sugar baron’s stifling of reform to the explosive growth at a Korean steel mill. “Provocative . . . How Asia Works is a striking and enlightening book . . . A lively mix of scholarship, reporting and polemic.” —The Economist
